This study examined the effects of sport brand music on the shopping behaviors sport consumers. Sport brand music is custom-designed music that embodies the attributes and characteristics of the sport brand, and plays a formative role in priming concepts related to the sport brand in the minds of sport consumers. Since sport brand music features song lyrics directly related to the sport brand, the purpose of this research was to examine the effects of sport brand music on shopping-related outcomes in an online retail store. Specifically, it was hypothesized that sport brand music would have a positive influence on sport consumers’ perceptions of musical fit with the sport brand, which would then lead to positive effects on various shopping behaviors, including evaluation of the store, attitude towards the brand, and purchase intentions. In addition, because people observe store environments in different ways, it was predicted that the personality trait of atmospheric responsiveness would moderate the relationships. The theoretical framework for this research is based on the principles and perspectives of conceptual fluency. It is argued that sport brand music that consists of song lyrics related to the sport brand will be more conceptually fluent and easier to process in a sport brand store than will popular music. A quantitative research design in the form of a laboratory experiment was used in this study. Participants (N=250) were randomly assigned to one of two experimental conditions: sport brand music (conceptually fluent) and popular music (not conceptually fluent). The conditions employed in this research involved shopping tasks that took place in a sport brand online retail store. Following the shopping tasks, participants were asked to answer questionnaire items via Qualtrics online survey software. Structural equation modeling (SEM) by means of AMOS 7.0 (Arbuckle, 2006) was utilized to test the hypotheses. Assessment of the measurement model fit for the entire model showed that all variables loaded as expected. Evaluation of the hypotheses showed that participants assigned to the sport brand music condition demonstrated more positive perceptions of musical fit than did participants assigned to the popular music condition(β = -.44, p < .001). Further, results supported the hypothesis that musical fit would then positively affect evaluations of the store (β = .50, p < .001) and attitudes toward the brand (β = .14, p < .05), but did not affect purchase intentions (β = .11, p = .06). In addition, findings indicate that evaluations of the store significantly related to attitudes toward the brand (β = .52, p < .001), which positively related to purchase intentions (β = .53, p < .001). Moreover, atmospheric responsiveness was found to have a moderating effect on musical fit (β = -.13, p = .06). Details of this research, as well as research limitations, study implications, and future directions, are forwarded.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1991. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 121-130) / Microfiche. / xiii, 130 leaves, bound ill. 29 cm

When we talk about shopping for garments, we mostly think of women first. Men also shop, need clothes, spend time and money in stores and dress in various fashion styles. That is why we decided to explore men’s attitudes and behavior in a garment shopping experience. Our main focus was men’s experience when buying fashionable garments. The thesis is based on investigation within the area of consumer behavior and its focal point is on men, shopping and how do they feel when they shop. In the study we conducted various qualitative researches which are participant observation method along with a short interview and a focus group method that helped us to get deeper into men’s mind and their perception of shopping and fashion in general. We have also conducted library research in order to obtain more data and information about previous studies made in the same field. While collecting all the possible data for this study, we tried to keep a visible link between our empirical findings and the collected library data. Results of the study identified four key traits that greatly help in defining men shopping experience as rather enjoyable or not. These traits are time consumption, uncertainty aversion, prices of garments and companionship while shopping. Time consumption and uncertainty aversion have been indicated as central traits which, in a right balance, can characterize male shopping experience as more pleasurable. Our overall findings indicate that men are strongly represented in the global shopping arena and share their own characteristic shopping behaviour. Thus, men should not be neglected nor ignored as consumers of fashionable garments.

The poultry industry occupies an important sector in Thai agriculture. The "Bird Flu" or "Avian Influenza (AI)" crisis, which first commenced in Thailand in 2004, has caused many problems. It has devastated the Thai chicken industry, the worlds fourth largest, with exports worth $A1.93 billion annually and employing hundreds of thousands of people. The European Union, the number two buyer of Thai chicken, and Japan, Thailands biggest customer, has banned imports of Thai chicken. / Locally, the marketing of chicken meat has posed a major economic problem because of a substantial fall in consumption. Many Thais, who learned about bird flu from the newspapers, have avoided buying and eating poultry as a simple precaution. Other Thais, who have continued to buy and consume fresh chicken meat, are doing so with caution. / This study attempted to examine perception factors and risk reduction strategies influencing consumers decisions to buy fresh chicken meat during a food risk situation in Thailand. In addition, an evaluation is made as to whether there is a difference between consumers perceptions and their purchasing decisions under specified demographic factors. / The current study focused on two key variables; namely, consumer perception factors and risk reduction strategies and their influence on Thai consumers purchasing decisions for fresh chicken meat. The four perception factors were 1) price, 2) product quality, 3) place, and 4) risk, based on studies by Schiffman and Kanuk (1997); Glitsch (2000), and Yeung and Morris (2001a). The risk reduction strategies, employed in this study, taken from previous literature (Glitsch, 2000); and Yeung and Morris, 2001b), include:1) purchasing reputable brands, 2) government control or guarantee labels, 3) purchasing from reliable outlets, 4) traceability, 5) avoiding “cheap prices”, and 6) personal controls. There is a long tradition for using demographic variables to explain the observed differences in consumption and food intake surveys. In this study, the demographic variables examined were age, gender, marital status, education, occupation, family size, and income. / Because the recognition of situational effects is an important guide to understanding and predicting consumer behaviour, the current study evaluated purchasing decisions in three situations: 1) in the current situation, do Thai consumers buy fresh chicken meat for consumption? 2) during the first bird flu crisis when there was a lot of adverse press on the effects of bird flu, did Thai consumers buy chicken meat for consumption? 3) in the future, if there is another bird flu crisis of similar severity, will Thai consumers be likely to buy chicken meat for consumption? / The research design was descriptive with the survey method used to gather data from the target respondents. Data was collected in six of Bangkoks largest markets, each located in a district with a population of approximately one million people. A total of 70 questionnaires were distributed in each of the six markets and 400 valid questionnaires were used to analyse the data. / The results showed that all four of the consumer perception factors, namely: price, product quality, place of purchase, and risk perception, influence purchasing decisions in the three different situations, in different ways. From the four perception factors, product quality had the highest influence on consumers purchasing decision, followed by risk and price perception. Place of purchase did not really influence their purchasing decision in the current situation. / Thesis (DBA(DoctorateofBusinessAdministration))--University of South Australia, 2007.

Generation Y (born between 1978 and 1995) has tremendous buying power and represents the future markets for most e-commerce Websites and companies. All online businesses should try to attract them and keep them as returning customers. Although former research findings distinguished Internet shoppers from the non-shoppers within the Internet user population, they did not focus on the characteristics of Internet shoppers and non-shoppers in specific market segments, especially in generations Y. In addition, studies on Taiwanese generation Y's profile and buying behaviours were not many either. / Thesis (DBA(DoctorateofBusinessAdministration))--University of South Australia, 2006.

The purpose of this thesis is to show how the image of contemporary green buildings is being used to promote and uphold the idea of sustainability. The thesis focuses on two fundamental aspects: the role of the image in sustainability and the consumption of that image by the broader community. / I discuss how consumer culture constantly raises the standards of what constitutes a normal lifestyle in modern society and is used as a measure of social, cultural and economic status. These rising expectations affect material consumption which negatively impacts on the environment, societies and cultures. Consumption, therefore does not only involve the consumption of goods and services but also the symbolic value to them, and this is of great importance in any discussion of sustainability in architecture and design. / Thesis (MArchitecture)--University of South Australia, 2006

Thesis (MBusiness-Research)--University of South Australia, 2003.

Thesis (MBusiness-Research)--University of South Australia, 2001.

This dissertation examines revisitation behaviour in the context of non-transactional websites. A holistic framework based on theories from repeat purchase behaviour and satisfaction was developed and tested. This study is among the first to consider revisitation as analogous to repeat purchase behaviour. The premise of the model is that revisitation is determined through an evaluation of prior visits and that the elements influencing revisitation included satisfaction, involvement (site, product category and medium) and social influences. Five non-transactional websites were examined with the selection based on the website typology developed in this thesis - a typology that will benefit website research as it provides a consistent and generic framework. Data were collected using a crosssectional web-based online survey via the homepage of the websites. Since satisfaction is considered to be a central factor in traditional repeat purchase behaviour and in website use, the antecedents of satisfaction were also examined. Overall the findings support the importance of content quality as a factor in satisfaction and even though website users are increasingly more proficient, ease of use is still an influential factor as is the attitude to the brand that the site supports. It was found that the users??? motives for using the site affected the relationship between the quality of the perceived benefits and satisfaction. If the motivation to use the site was for information, then the impact of information quality on satisfaction was weaker than the impact of entertainment quality on satisfaction. Alternatively, if the motivation was for entertainment, then once again the impact of information quality on satisfaction was weaker than that of entertainment quality. Initial model testing showed that the only factor to influence revisitation behaviour was enduring site involvement. Cognizant of the dangers of ???data driven theory???, the relationship of the elements was reassessed. The resultant model shows that product category involvement directly influences enduring site involvement and that enduring site involvement is a central construct operating as a direct and a mediating influence between each of satisfaction, social influence, medium involvement and website revisitation.

The formation of alliances has become a key strategy for businesses wishing to grow. Yet the majority of these alliances fail. Most of the research into strategic alliances has focused on the benefits to the business itself, such as access to new markets, new technology or new knowledge. Surprisingly little research has examined the impact such alliances have on the customer, so we do not know if these alliances result in tangible benefits for customers that can be used to improve the outcomes of the alliance. The present study examined whether such an alliance added value to customers or improved their relationship with a service provider. The study found customers differentiated between